ABN AMRO introduces the Sport Scholarship to reduce the barrier to elite sport
- Sponsorship
Hans Sjouke Koopal
Sr Press Officer Private Banking, Personal & BB
Research: ambitious wheelchair athletes spend € 16,000 to € 26,500 more per year on their sport than athletes without a physical disability
ABN AMRO is launching the Sport Scholarship during the ABN AMRO Open tennis and wheelchair tennis tournament. The scholarship is a multi‑year development programme for wheelchair tennis players with ambitions to reach elite level. Research by the bank shows that wheelchair athletes who want to progress to elite sport spend at least € 16,000 more per year than athletes without a physical disability. This amount is in addition to the already high regular sports expenses and the daily costs of care and aids, including health insurance. The bank is introducing the initiative to help bring about more sustainable progression to elite sport by supporting talented wheelchair tennis players with financial resources, knowledge and personal guidance.
The main findings at a glance:
Research by ABN AMRO shows that amateur athletes with a physical disability still do not have the same opportunities on the path to elite sport as amateur athletes without a physical disability, due to higher financial barriers.
For many people with a physical disability, playing sport is € 16,000 to € 26,500 more expensive per year than for people without a physical disability. This works out as € 1,300 to over € 2,200 more per month.
Unequal opportunities for amateur athletes with a physical disability reduce the flow of talent into elite sport and also have a negative impact on both individuals and society*.
Equal ambitions deserve equal opportunities
Athletes with a physical disability have to spend a lot more money pursuing their ambition to reach the top, according to research by ABN AMRO, carried out by sector economist Gerarda Westerhuis. This is mainly due to higher costs for transport and physical support. These athletes often have to rely on their own transport and travel longer distances on average, resulting in monthly travel expenses of at least € 388. In many cases, athletes with a physical disability also need physical assistance, often from a support worker, which creates an additional monthly financial burden of at least € 947.
“Despite existing reimbursements and subsidies such as the personal budget, people with a physical disability often have enough trouble just making ends meet, let alone paying the additional costs of sport,” says Westerhuis. “In addition to the regular costs of membership fees and sports equipment, there are often high costs for transport and physical support. That is on top of essentials such as medication and aids. It all adds up, and that’s what makes the inequality so stark.”
Untapped potential
It is important for both the individual and society that athletes with a physical disability have equal opportunities in pursuing their dream of reaching the top. Esther Vergeer, founder of the Esther Vergeer Foundation, seven‑time Paralympic champion and tournament director of the ABN AMRO Open wheelchair tennis tournament, confirms this: “Sport contributes to an active social life and is good for mental and physical health. Beyond these personal benefits, it provides major social and health benefits for society. Plus, we are now missing out on untapped elite talent, because athletes with a physical disability don’t get to take the step towards the top. The high costs are partly to blame for the limited influx of talent. The broader the group of ambitious athletes, the greater the chance of a healthy progression to elite sport.”
The Sport Scholarship as training ground
ABN AMRO has spent the past twenty years working to promote equal opportunities in sport, art, culture and society. “The Sport Scholarship marks another concrete step in these efforts: a multi‑year programme that boosts equal opportunities for wheelchair tennis players with a physical disability. We have supported equal opportunities since 2009, including through the creation and integration of the wheelchair tennis tournament in the ABN AMRO Open. Our long‑term partnership with the Esther Vergeer Foundation and our broader commitment to equal opportunities in our other partnerships show that this is not a one‑off initiative, but a structural effort to change the system. The programme supports talented athletes in pursuing their elite‑sport ambitions and offers them the same opportunities. We hope this will inspire others to do the same,” says Sander Bestevaar, Head of Partnerships, Events & Foundations at ABN AMRO.
The bank is initiating and funding the Sport Scholarship and is working with its partners, such as the Esther Vergeer Foundation, which advises on what an athlete needs and helps assess whether the programme is progressing successfully. In addition to financial support, ABN AMRO also offers expertise on financial planning in combination with elite sport, guidance on building a personal brand, and mentorship from Esther Vergeer and ambassador Diede de Groot.